Lebanon (MNN) — Refugees in Lebanon face uncertainty about survival and the future. More than 1.1 million people have been displaced, including nearly 390,000 children. The ministry supports children through education and practical aid.
Good news from Lebanon: Horizons International is launching its third school for refugee children today!
Pierre Houssney highlights the importance of recognizing children’s needs amid the nation’s overwhelming challenges. “Their whole purpose in life has disappeared. Their parents no longer have work. They’ve been kind of reduced to survival mode,” he says.
He explains that this constant fight for survival can quickly become normal for children who are still learning how to navigate life. One story especially impacted the ministry team.
Two kids walking (representative photo courtesy of Zeynep Kahya via Pexels)
“One refugee girl told our staff member that she and her brother trade off nights on one foam mattress,” Houssney says.
One night, the girl sleeps on the mattress while her brother sleeps on the concrete floor. The next night, they switch places.
Deeply moved by the situation, the team provided mattresses not only for those two children, but for every child in the community — many of whom faced the same problem but never shared it.
This is one of the reasons Houssney says house visits and regular check-ins are essential to the ministry’s outreach, alongside its education efforts.
Horizons International partners with Lebanese churches to serve people affected by war and demonstrate the love of Christ in tangible ways. “The way that we work is we directly resource the church to draw people in, so the church can be the hands and feet of Christ,” says Houssney.
So when the local churches work with local people it builds the community around them where people can grow in the knowledge of Christ. “We are ambassadors of Christ, and we are there to be with them in their time of difficulty,” explains Houssney.
The ministry asks believers to pray for the new school and for ongoing projects across Lebanon. Supporters can also partner financially to help provide resources and expand Gospel outreach. Visit Horizons International to learn how you can help.
“Anybody who could help with these resources should know that there is a huge Gospel impact from this,” says Houssney.
Header photo: Kids in Bqaa Kafra, North Governorate, Lebanon (photo courtesy of Hussein Haidar via Pexels).
